A Misty Future
by The Endless Hourglass
Summary: Nightmist is a nine moon old medicine cat who has been given the burden of trying to heal his brother's broken bone. But with his mentor's death haunting him like a ghost, Nightmist's journey is going to be harder than he'd originally imagined.
1. The Wound

**The Wound**

Nightmist hastily ran over to his supply of herbs as he heard the patrol members bickering about who's fault it was. It only took him a few moments to gather the herbs he needed, and though the cobwebs were a bit too sticky, Nightmist would manage. He had to.

After running back to the apprentice whom was wounded, the black tom quickly looked over the wound as the warriors around him stared in silence. Nightmist had never seen anything like what he was seeing now. The flesh was cut deep enough to allow him to see the bone, and if that was not enough, the entire paw was broken.

He had never witnessed his mentor heal a wound like this, seeing as he was only nine moons old. This left him to have almost no experience whatsoever. But Nightmist was determined to at least try to heal the wound, no matter how bad it looked. Not only because he was determined to prove himself, though. He wanted to heal the wound mostly because the wounded apprentice in front of him was his brother.

"Can you heal him?" asked Snakebite, a long slender gray tom with poison green eyes. Nightmist didn't answer the question because in all honesty, he didn't know and he couldn't work while talking. It was just too distracting.

The silence continued as Nightmist dabbed the moss onto the wound, trying to make it soak up with blood so that he could have a clean work space. After seven wads of moss, Nightmist found it was no use, and so he picked up the comfrey leaves and chewed them into a pulp.

As he applied the pulp, Nightmist thought quickly of what to next. _The paw isn't completely broken. Not as bad as it could be anyway. I don't have to rebreak it, but I might have to if I don't get to it fast enough. It will have to remain bloody until I get the cobwebs on it, which I should probably be doing that now before he bleeds to death._

"Nightmist, can you heal him?" asked Snakebite in a much sterner tone. As Nightmist started wrapping his brother's paw in cobwebs, he ignored the angry mentor. He didn't want to risk screwing something this important up. Just one simple mistake, and his brother could never be a warrior again.

"Answer me!"

Nightmist glanced up to the elder warrior, but then returned to his work, continuing to cover the paw in cobwebs as he set it where it needed to go in order to grow back correctly. The warriors around him waited in silence, hoping that Nightmist would answer the angry warrior.

"I'm not sure," said Nightmist after deciding that he better answer Snakebite before he was attacked. "I haven't really learned how to heal a broken paw or leg before, so this is new to me. But I can tell you one thing, Stormpaw could have had much worse injuries, meaning that I can at least be sure that he'll live." Snakebite hissed with frustration, probably thinking that Stormpaw would never become a warrior now. In all truth, Nightmist doubted it.

_I'm done with the cobwebs, _Nightmist thought to himself, looking at his brother's leg once again. _But what next? I've kept the paw from bleeding or coming up with infection. . .Well, I can't think of anything else until I'm able to— _Just then, Nightmist noticed blood dripping onto the den floor, making him even more irritated.

"You've got to be kidding me," Nightmist hissed, his eyes narrowed in frustration as he searched his brothers fur for a wound. When he finally found it, Nightmist sighed, trying to keep himself calm as he saw the large scratch going from the middle of the gray apprentices shoulder all of the way to the hip bone. It was very large, and it was bleeding heavily.

"What in StarClan's name happened?" Nightmist asked before standing up and going back to his supply of cobwebs. He gathered a fair amount and then realized he was nearly out. Sighing with annoyance, Nightmist returned to his brother, applying the cobwebs on the wound with ease.

"He found a fox trap set up by the two-legs," Snakebite answered, his head low. "He was on a hunting assignment, so no one was watching him. I don't know how long he was there before our patrol found him." Nightmist closed his eyes for a few moments to keep himself calm as he finished pressing the cobwebs to the wound.

"If it was a fox trap, then Stormpaw was very lucky," Nightmist told Snakebite, standing up as he finally told himself he was done. "I've heard some stories from Robinfur, and apparently a few cats have died from one of those traps." Nightmist sighed a bit with relief, happy that he'd avoided the real answer as he quickly tried to think of anything else he could do.

_I can't apply anything to the gash on his flank until the bleeding has stopped, _Nightmist thought. _Then with the broken paw, I can't do anything more than change the cobwebs, because if I don't, it's most likely to cause an infection. Plus I have to make sure the bone stays were I put it or it'll grow in an odd position and Stormpaw can basically say good bye to being a warrior. _

_But aside from all that, Stormpaw going to need to rest his paw for a long time, _Nightmist told himself. _That would mean he needs a comfortable place to sleep while he's here. _Nightmist looked up to the warriors in his den, wondering exactly why they were there in the first place. Usually he liked to work without a crowd over his shoulder.

"Ask some of the apprentices to build him a nest," Nightmist told them. "Make it comfortable, for he will be in here for a long time. And also, please wait outside for the time being. He needs to rest." The warriors nodded before turning around and leaving the den, making everything quiet.

Nightmist sighed, happy that he was finally alone and the stress level had finally diminished, but frustrated that he was left to heal this wound. Stormpaw was his wild brother who wanted nothing more than to become the best warrior he could be, but Nightmist now had to prepare to tell Stormpaw that he may never become a warrior at all.

"_Being a medicine cat isn't easy," _came his mentor's voice from a memory that Nightmist remembered easily. _"But in the end, it all works out." _

_Not in this situation, _Nightmist thought to himself. _How on earth am I going to tell him that he probably won't become a warrior? _Nightmist looked over Stormpaw again, finding nothing better to do with his wasted time. After finding no other wounds and noticing that Stormpaw was actually sleeping quite fine, Nightmist sorted out a ball of herbs he'd accidentally mushed together when he was gathering the herbs he needed to heal his brother.

A little while later, Jaggedpaw and Bluepaw padded into the medicine den with a large wad of moss. After checking it for thorns and spreading it out, the two apprentices left, leaving Nightmist alone with Stormpaw again. He nudged his brother, who awoke with a start before realizing where he was.

"Stormpaw, can you move well enough to crawl into the nest?" asked Nightmist. He was hoping his brother would say no, for moving in such a weak state would just make things worse. But being the stubborn independent brother he always was, Stormpaw carefully crawled into the nest and quickly fell asleep again.

_Probably exhausted from the pain and shock, _Nightmist concluded before making his way over to his own nest. As he lay down, he thought of anything would have been different if Robinfur, his mentor, would have been here. Stormpaw would probably have more of a chance becoming a warrior, but Nightmist didn't let himself think of that any longer. Soon he was fast asleep.

* * *

Nightmist woke with a start as he heard screams coming from across the den. As he remembered why his brother was in his den, he jumped up and sprinted over to Stormpaw and started looking over the wounds that he knew could reopen. Everything was fine, though, confusing Nightmist a lot.

Stormpaw continued screaming though, making the stress build up within him as he quickly looked over his brother's body again. Still, there was no sign of blood or loss of cobwebs. Everything was just as he'd left it earlier that day. Nightmist quickly shook his brother to get his attention.

Stormpaw still screamed, unable to register that Nightmist was even there. The young medicine cat quickly thought of what could be happening, hoping that nothing inside of his brother had been wounded. Nightmist was going through what he did to the broken paw over and over in his mind, but again, nothing seemed to be wrong.

_StarClan, I wish I could just get rid of the pain! _Nightmist yelled to himself as Stormpaw's screaming got louder. _Wait. . .I'm a mouse-brain! I did everything right except give him thyme! _Nightmist ran over to his herb supply before picking out the thyme and darting back over to his brother, who was still screaming.

"Eat this, Stormpaw," Nightmist said calmly, hoping to lower the stress level with his composed attitude. "It will make you feel better, I promise." Stormpaw didn't even acknowledge his brother talking, making Nightmist fear that it wasn't just because of the pain that the apprentice was screaming.

"Stormpaw, eat it, and you will feel better," Nightmist urged, a bit forceful this time. Quiet murmurs were coming from outside the den, making Nightmist hiss in frustration. This was not the time for the den to be crowded.

Stormpaw continued to scream, flailing around like a fish out of water as if trying to attack someone in front of him. Nightmist finally gave up on doing it nicely before shoving the thyme down his brother's throat. The gray apprentice choked a bit, but eventually chewed everything.

Stormpaw's screams now became helpless whispers, leaving Nightmist to narrow his eyes in disarray. It was as if his brother was trying to hide from an invisible threat that was coming closer and closer, ready to attack at any second. This theory was proved when Stormpaw's mother and father walked in with worried looks in their eyes, and the gray apprentice flinched as he saw them.

"What's going on?" asked Lionear, who just happened to be Clan deputy. "Why does he look as if he's scared? Stormpaw's never scared!" Nightmist was looking at his brother, a million different things going through his head as his father demanded what was wrong.

_He could have rebroken the leg while he was screaming, _Nightmist thought, but as he took one step toward his brother, Stormpaw backed away, shaking with fear as his mother started crying. _I can't check that until he trusts me. He must have been in a lot of pain, and he probably blames it on me. But I can't help him if he won't let me near him._

"Nightmist answer me!" Lionear demanded, his tail lashing with fury. That movement made Stormpaw cry out, as if begging someone to help him. "What in StarClan's name is wrong with him?" Nightmist turned to face his father, his pale blue eyes narrowed with anger.

"I'm working on it!" Nightmist snapped, his tail flicking with irritation as he turned toward his brother who was now lying on the ground muttering something undetectable. "He doesn't trust me after what I did it seems, and then I think he shifted the paw back. I don't know what to do now."

"Great," Lionear muttered. "Now we have a medicine cat who can't heal a broken paw!" Nightmist sighed, calming himself down before trying to think about what Robinfur would have done. He'd never _seen _her work on a mentally ill cat, but he'd heard her talk about it. One of the elders had a head injury one time, and that story was told to the kits most often, so Nightmist knew it well.

But that didn't help at all. The elder wasn't afraid of Robinfur like Stormpaw was, just scared of the big fleas that were supposedly out to eat him. Most of the time he had nightmares as well, and his mentor said that she had to wake him from it many times because of how dangerous he could be.

"Wait, that's it!" Nightmist said aloud, making both Lionear and his mother confused. "He's just having a day-nightmare instead of a day dream!" Nightmist quickly took a few steps forward toward his brother, watching as the gray apprentice took more and more clumsy steps back.

"Stormpaw, it's me, Nightmist," he said quietly, watching as his brother momentarily believed him. Stormpaw shook his head as he lowered himself to the ground, his claws unsheathed.

"Y-you're lying!" Stormpaw yelled, the fear in his eyes unmistakable. Nightmist shook his head, smiling warmly as his brother seemed to relax slightly. Even if it was only just a few notches, Nightmist was happy that he was finally getting somewhere.

"No, I'm not lying," Nightmist soothed, listening as few more warriors curiously poked their heads through the den entrance. "I'm just your brother, and I'm a medicine cat, remember? I'm here to heal you, okay? That's all I'm trying to do." Nightmist was slowly taking steps, and though he'd only taken three since the conversation had started, at least he was getting somewhere.

"But those traps! They tried to kill me!" Stormpaw explained, shaking as Nightmist forced himself to stay still. Any movement would give his brother the wrong impression, so it was important not to move as Stormpaw tried to figure it out.

"Only one did, and that was yesterday," Nightmist told his brother as the look of recollection took over the fear in his brother's eyes. "But I fixed you, remember? I made you better. You're paw doesn't hurt as much, does it?" Stormpaw glanced down at his paw before quickly looking back to Nightmist.

"How do I know you're not lying?" asked Stormpaw, though he was mostly relaxed now. "How do I know you aren't one of those traps in a disguise?" Nightmist stood still as he tried to figure out what could prove to his brother that he was a medicine cat, not a trap.

"Stars of the sky, sun of the night, clouds of the darkness, moon of the light." Nightmist told Stormpaw, who now looked fully relaxed. "Gray and black, blue and amber. Let the storm rain down as night is in slumber. One to fight bravely, one to heal kindly. Forever together no matter what the weather." Stormpaw smiled with happiness as Nightmist finished, finally accepting that his brother was trying to help.

"You _are_ Nightmist!" said Stormpaw, no longer cowering in the corner. "I would remember that code anywhere!" The gray apprentice seemed okay now, leaving the stress level to be cut in half as Stormpaw's smile made all of the warriors in the entrance sigh with relief.

Nightmist's eyes clouded with thought as he began remembering exactly when that code had been made. They were kits, and because they'd already decided what they were going to do when they were apprentices, Stormpaw had thought of making a deal. A deal to never leave the other behind.

So that's why they thought of 'gray and black, blue and amber' because gray and black were their fur colors while blue and amber was pointed toward their eye colors. 'Let the storm rain down as night is in slumber' was created because of two things: one, to signify Stormpaw's will to protect, and two, to stand for Stormpaw's strength and Nightmist's gentleness. 'One to fight bravely, one to fight kindly' was obvious since Nightmist had always wanted to heal cats while Stormpaw had always wanted to protect them. 'Forever together no matter the weather' was also obvious seeing as they'd made the code to tell each other to stick together and never leave the other behind.

'Stars of the sky, sun of the night, clouds of the darkness, moon of the light' was something they'd thought of last, because it was sometimes difficult to understand. What it really meant was that even though they could be opposites, or in totally different situations, they were still the same brothers they always were.

That was why Nightmist had chosen this code to tell Stormpaw that he was in fact his brother. No one knew what it meant but him and his brother because they'd never told another soul. They wanted to keep it between each other, so that no matter what the situation, they would only have to speak that code to push the other forward.

But this memory saddened Nightmist because he knew that Stormpaw only had a small chance to become a warrior with the broken paw. Sure it would heal, but probably not all of the way. Walking might always be painful to Stormpaw, and that would mean that his brother couldn't hunt or fight ever again.

After blinking away the thought, Nightmist walked over to his brother and touched noses with him, telling the gray apprentice that everything was okay. After that, he walked up beside Stormpaw and let his brother rest on his shoulder.

"Just a few steps and you'll be back in your nest," Nightmist told his brother. "In order for that stupid wound to heal, you need to rest, so no buts." Stormpaw lowered his head, knowing that he had a reputation for talking back to the authority.

After a few agonizing steps for Stormpaw, Nightmist carefully let the gray apprentice sit down before looking over the broken paw. It did seem to have slipped a bit, so with a long sigh, the black medicine cat stood up and gathered the last of the cobwebs, making a mental note to tell the apprentices to go get some more.

Nightmist cautiously peeled off the old cobwebs before finding them soaked with crimson blood. Stormpaw looked away, unable to stomach the amount of blood that he was seeing. After rolling his eyes at his brother, Nightmist licked off the dried blood, carefully avoiding the actual wound so it wouldn't start bleeding again.

The warriors outside of the den had long since passed as Nightmist finally set the bone to where he wanted it again. The black medicine cat noticed that his brother only felt a slight tugging sensation, leaving him to smile. Apparently the thyme had worked, leaving Stormpaw to lay there with a disgusted look on his face. Nightmist finished by wrapping the paw in the cobwebs again, this time making it stronger so that the bone wouldn't get misplaced.

"I can't believe you can do all of this without vomiting," said Stormpaw, wrinkling his nose as Nightmist finished. "Oh, and then you have to remember which herbs heal which cough, and how much of this heals this large of an illness. I'm beginning to wonder if you have two brains." Nightmist laughed at his brothers comment, happy to hear his voice come out of his mouth normally.

"Well I can't believe you can hunt without scaring off all of the prey," said Nightmist, speaking without thinking. "I never see any prey when I search for herbs. They all think I'm you, probably." Stormpaw's smile vanished in an instant, leaving Nightmist to worry. "Sorry! I forgot!"

_Mouse-brain! This is just going to make him think of it even more! _Nightmist yelled at himself. Just as he'd thought, Stormpaw looked to the ground, hiding his expressions as he always did. There was a few moments of silence in which the black medicine cat pleaded to StarClan to have this conversation end.

"I'm such an idiot. . ." Nightmist muttered to himself before standing up, getting ready to return to his nest. But Stormpaw stopped him with his good paw, leaving the black medicine cat to narrow his eyes in confusion.

"You don't need to be sorry," Stormpaw murmured, though he hadn't looked up from the ground. "You help me, remember? Maybe talking about it is a good thing. When you talked to me after my nightmare, you fixed everything. You made me wake up." Nightmist tilted his head in curiosity, wondering exactly what Stormpaw had witnessed while he was screaming.

"What exactly happened?" asked Nightmist, being careful of his words now. "I was only slightly sure of what was happening when I came to comfort you." Stormpaw's head lowered as he continued to look at the ground. Even though Nightmist couldn't see his brother's amber eyes, he knew that they were clouded with emotion.

"At first it was a normal dream," said Stormpaw after a few moments of silence. "I was hunting, trying to catch that stubborn little mouse that kept running away. But while I was chasing it, a fox trap snapped below me, and I-I felt pain near my paw. That's about when I woke up I guess, and then a few moments later you shoved that nasty tasting herb down my throat."

"Sorry about that," Nightmist told him, interrupting the story.

"It's okay," Stormpaw assured him. "Anyways, after the pain stopped I saw nothing but traps snapping at my neck. You were a black one, dad was a ginger one, and mom was a gray one. When you came toward me I finally saw you as a cat, but I still wasn't sure since the pain in my leg kept telling me to run away.

"Then you said the code and I knew it was you," said Stormpaw, looking up to Nightmist finally. "I knew that you weren't a trap, and then I recognized mother and father. That was all, though." Nightmist grinned with happiness in his eyes, simply glad that his brother was better.

"Well, just stay as still as you possibly can and go back to sleep," said Nightmist before talking a few steps toward his nest as his muscles begged for him to lay down.

"I can't."

Nightmist stopped before turning around to face his brother, who was looking at the ground again, though this time it was in shame, not sadness. Nightmist sighed, his tail flicking with irritation.

"I'll go get you more poppy seeds, though you'll have to—"

"That's not what I meant!" Stormpaw yelled, interrupting his brother, who looked at the gray apprentice in shock. Stormpaw was never this demanding, nor was he this angry, but then Nightmist remembered what Robinfur had told him many moons ago about how being wounded can change a cat.

"Then what do you mean?" asked Nightmist, though he had an idea of what the answer was going to be. Stormpaw sighed, calming himself down as his brother awaited his answer.

"I-I'm afraid of having a nightmare again," Stormpaw murmured, his voice barely audible to Nightmist. The black medicine cat knew that his brother was having a hard time admitting to being afraid of nightmares, so he didn't ask him to repeat the answer.

Stormpaw's stubbornness brought back many memories to when Nightmist and he were brothers. Stormpaw was always the ones who started the fights, and Nightmist was always the one who would confuse his brother into ending them, for he was the smartest. Stormpaw, however, always stood up for Nightmist, protecting him from the bigger kits in the nursery.

Nightmist knew that it was his turn to protect his brother. Even though Stormpaw would disagree, the young medicine cat knew that until his brother's paw was healed, he would be the one standing up to the bigger warriors, telling them off whenever they made fun of Stormpaw's weakness.

So it was then that Nightmist decided that he needed to get Stormpaw used to the idea. After all, if his brother was going to be that squirmy, they would be together in this den for a long time. And so because of that, Nightmist walked over to his nest and drug it over to Stormpaw's, all the while the gray tom looked at his brother in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Stormpaw asked, curiously looking to Nightmist as the black medicine cat lied down on his bed of moss. There was a few moments of silence as Nightmist waited to see if his brother could understand.

"Since you can't sleep alone without having nightmares, I will sleep with you," Nightmist answered his brother, who looked at him with surprise. "Just go to sleep, Stormpaw, and remember the good things, not the bad." Stormpaw gave a small nod before setting his head on his paws.

Nightmist did the same, closing his eyes as he thought of what was ahead of him.


	2. Recovery

**The Recovery**

"Nightmist, how long are you going to take getting those herbs?" asked Stormpaw as the black medicine cat prepared to look for poppy seeds and cobwebs. They were out again because of how much Stormpaw needed, but Nightmist was happy to go out for awhile. He only wished that Stormpaw could as well.

"It won't be that long since I know where to get the poppy seeds this time," Nightmist told his brother with a smile on his face. "And don't be worried about being bored—I've told Jaggedpaw to look after you until I'm gone. Oh, and please try not to walk today, because that leg is almost healed enough for you to do so. However, if you break it, we'll have to start over from the beginning, and after a half a moon sleeping next to you, that would be torture." Stormpaw rolled his eyes at Nightmist's joke before lying back down.

It had been a half moon since Stormpaw was brought to his den, and since then no one had talked about his apprenticeship in front of him, so Nightmist still had a while before he was to tell his brother that he only had a chance of becoming a warrior.

The gray apprentice had actually been healing faster than Nightmist had first thought, for it was only a few more days before it didn't need any cobwebs, and then his brother could stand. Stormpaw was still going to be unable walk around much, but at least he'd be standing. All of this made the black medicine cat hopeful that his brother could still become a warrior.

As Nightmist walked out of his den, he thought of how life would be if Stormpaw didn't become a warrior. The gray apprentice would probably become _his _apprentice, and that would not only weird, but it would crush Stormpaw because they had both wanted to become the best they could be together.

Nightmist shook the thought out of his head before he made his way toward the camp entrance, hoping to avoid talking to his mother and father about Stormpaw because they'd been asking about him since the day he was brought in. Having to explain the situation five times in one day was getting annoying.

"Nightmist!" called Lionear as the black medicine cat just made it to the camp entrance. "Shadestar has asked to see you in his den!" Nightmist sighed before turning around and walking toward the high ledge. This was going to be about Stormpaw, he knew, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

After climbing up onto the highledge, Nightmist walked into the leaders den. Though he was a medicine cat, he'd only been in this den once, and that was only to discuss what to do with him after Robinfur died. This den still made him shiver, because even though Shadestar was the clan leader, he was scary.

A flicker of movement within the den told him to enter, and so he did, cautiously trying to figure out who all was in the the chilly den as many scents came to his nose. Snakebite - Stormpaw's mentor -, Lionear - Stormpaw's father and the deputy of the clan -, and of course, Shadestar, the clan leader.

"You wanted me?" asked Nightmist, his eyes narrowed with confusion, pretending not to know what they were all there for. Shadestar nodded, a look of sadness in his eyes as he glanced to the black medicine cat.

"Stormpaw hasn't recovered as fast as I'd been hoping," said Shadestar, jumping right to the point. "I was wondering when you think he'll be ready to start training to become a warrior again." Nightmist's eyes widened with surprise as the leader finished. None of these cats knew about broken legs obviously, and they were expecting to much of Stormpaw. Were they mouse-brain?

"Four moons at least," Nightmist told them, though he wasn't quite sure that was the right response, because Shadestar just sighed. "What do you expect from him? Even though he is strong, he is still only nine moons old, and he won't recover from this easily. He's still been having nightmares, and though not as bad as the first one, they are still there. Can't you just be patient?" Lionear growled lowly in warning to catch Nightmist's attention.

"Be quiet, Nightmist," Lionear ordered, his eyes narrowed as disappointment flooded his eyes. "This is the clan leader you are talking to." Nightmist glared at his father, but listened to him anyways. He had to remember his place in this clan.

"Well, let's hope for the best, but I have to say, Nightmist, I expected more from you," said Shadestar coldly, his amber eyes showing his anger at the black medicine cat. "Robinfur would have been able to heal Stormpaw, but she died, and now we're stuck with you." Nightmist's fur bristled as his leader finished, now furious that his leader was being so cold.

"I agree, Robinfur probably would have been better at this," Nightmist growled, trying to keep his cool. "But you're stuck with me, and whether you like or not, Robinfur won't come back, and Stormpaw won't become a warrior anytime soon." Lionear growled lowly now, still trying to make his son stay quiet.

"Nightmist! Shut your mouth!" Lionear hissed, becoming embarrassed as Nightmist talked back to the clan leader. The black medicine cat didn't stop there, for he was much angrier than he'd ever been in his life.

"But why?" asked Nightmist, looking his father with his pale blue eyes. "Shadestar has failed to do it, and he's clan leader, so why can't I talk to him like this?" Lionear didn't have time to answer, for Shadestar was already on his feet, his claws unsheathed.

"That's enough!" Shadestar growled, making Nightmist narrow his eyes tighter. "You will not be going to the clan gathering this full moon, and you will not be allowed to leave camp until I say otherwise, am I clear?" Nightmist's tail flicked with irritation, but he stood up and walked toward the den entrance, though paused when he thought of something he needed to say.

"Why even give me the punishment when you think I'm worthless anyways?" Nightmist asked before walking out of the den and down the high ledge.

Nightmist couldn't believe that Shadestar was being so cruel. He obviously had no idea how emotionally and physically painful it is to have a broken leg, and how hard it is to recover from one. It had only been a half of a moon! Nightmist was angry at the clan leader, but he couldn't change it.

When he entered his den, the black medicine cat didn't look up to Stormpaw, who was talking to Jaggedpaw about something that Nightmist would rather ignore. When the two apprentices noticed him, they looked in his direction and gave confused glances to one another.

"Jaggedpaw, can you please find me some poppy seeds and cobwebs from the forest?" asked Nightmist, pretending to look for another herb in his stock. There was silence as the silver tabby she-cat curiously looked to him, wondering why she had to do it instead of him. "Just go and get them!"

Jaggedpaw flinched before darting out of the medicine den with a scared look on her face. Nightmist ignored this for now, trying not to let the regret get to him. Stormpaw, however, was narrowing his eyes onto his brother, recognizing what Nightmist was feeling instantly.

Ever since they were little, both of them could read each others thoughts. Not literally, but they could read any emotion on the other's face when most other cats could not. Nightmist loved it most of the time, but at the moment, he just wanted to be alone.

"They were talking to you about my recovery, weren't they?" asked Stormpaw, also trying to hide his sorrow. Nightmist looked over to his brother with narrowed eyes, unable to hide his anger anymore. The silent conversation happened next as Nightmist simply answered 'yes' with the anger in his eyes and Stormpaw answered 'I thought so' with the sorrow in his expression.

"Shadestar is just so frustrating when it comes to believing in someone," Nightmist growled, his tail flickering with frustration. "He thinks you should have been healed already, and that he thinks that he's stuck with me. That mouse-brain doesn't know a fighter when he sees one, and he thinks these things can heal over night. They can't! And now I can't go outside of this camp, or even the next clan gathering."

"He can do that?" asked Stormpaw, his eyes narrowed with confusion. Nightmist saw that his brother was thinking of much more than just his apprenticeship. The poor gray tom must be under a lot of stress, leaving Nightmist to relax himself completely for Stormpaw's sake.

"Apparently," Nightmist muttered before smiling to his brother. "Don't worry though, I'll be fine. 'Together, forever, whatever the weather', remember?" Stormpaw smiled, nodding happily. His amber eyes were clouded with emotion, leaving Nightmist to sigh, realizing that Stormpaw wasn't going to be the same after this.

"Now, let me look at the other wound," said Nightmist, walking over to his brother. The wound on Stormpaw's side was the only thing he didn't worry about. It was just a normal wound, one that Nightmist could fix easily, though he was still unsure of what it was going to turn out to be. From the looks of it, there was going to be a scar.

Just as Nightmist thought, the wound still hadn't healed yet, making him sigh before looking to his brother. "Looks like you're gonna have an awesome scar to show off when you're done with this. It's even shaped like a lightning bolt!" That was true. It had that feeling of strength to it, so even though it was going to be a scar, it wasn't going to be life changing.

Sensing that his brother wanted to be alone, Nightmist stood up and shook off his dirty pelt. He didn't really have time to groom himself now that Stormpaw was in the den, though he had planned to clean himself when he went to the gathering. Now that it was impossible for him to go, Nightmist put off grooming himself for a few more days.

"I'm going to sort out a few herbs," Nightmist told his brother with a small smile. "Tell me when Jaggedpaw comes back, okay?" Stormpaw nodded before lying down again, thinking to himself. Nightmist looked at his brother for a few moments longer before turning toward his herb store.

_StarClan, please let him become a warrior. . ._

* * *

"Easily, now," Nightmist told his brother as the gray apprentice tried to stand. "That paw still hasn't grown enough yet." Stormpaw muttered something as he used his claws to pull himself up. After two moons of not being able to walk around, the gray apprentice was weak, so this was harder than Nightmist probably thought.

Stormpaw winced in pain as he continued to attempt the task. However, it seemed to be stressful for the young tom, seeing as he kept hissing with frustration as his eyes continued to stay tightly narrowed. Nightmist's eyes flooded with worry as his heart raced. He just hoped his brother wouldn't rebreak the paw again.

Stormpaw sat down, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Nightmist didn't like seeing his brother like this, mostly because he knew that this step—in Stormpaw's point of view—was probably the deciding factor in whether or not he'd become an apprentice again.

"Here, let me—"

"No!" Stormpaw snapped, forcing Nightmist to stop talking. He didn't want to anger his brother any further, but he could see the exhaustion in Stormpaw's eyes and he wanted to help. "I can do this on my own! I have to!" Nightmist nodded before taking a few steps back.

The gray apprentice hooked his claws into the den floor once again before attempting to pull himself up onto the ground. Nightmist knew of what could help him, but he wasn't going to push his luck. The black medicine cat gave a sigh, knowing that his brother wasn't going to stand.

Finally, after a few moments, Stormpaw sat back down, a disappointed look in his eye. In a huff of anger, the gray apprentice lied back down, looking away from Nightmist, who looked at his brother with worry. Stormpaw was obviously mad at himself now, when really it was probably Nightmist's fault for getting the gray tom's hopes up.

"Stormpaw, can't you—"

"Just go away!" Stormpaw snapped to his brother, making the black medicine cat sigh with frustration. "What? You think I'm hopeless? Well of course! Everyone thinks that! It makes no difference that you hate me." Nightmist growled lowly. He could stand some hatred, but this? Stormpaw was getting too moody.

"Oh, so you're giving up now?" asked Nightmist coldly, his eyes narrowed. "Fine. Become an old elder that has never known battle. See if I care." Stormpaw turned his head around quickly to glare at his brother, who had as back turned to the gray apprentice.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Stormpaw asked, his fur bristling. "I can't stand, and since you have no other way to heal me, I might as well spend the rest of my days as a lazy kittypet!" Nightmist's tail lashed as he witnessed his angry brother give up all the hope he had.

"So you're expecting me to help, are you?" Nightmist growled, making Stormpaw narrow his eyes in confusion. "Well here's that truth. I can't. If you've become a mouse-brained coward and push away those who try, then you might as well be killed by the crows. If you won't let me help you, I won't be able to heal you. I'm not Robinfur. I can't heal everyone." Stormpaw looked away, muttering something under his breath.

"So much for 'healing kindly'," Stormpaw growled, making Nightmist scoff.

"Yeah, and say good-bye to 'fighting bravely' for me, will you?" Nightmist retorted. Stormpaw paused, probably surprised that his brother could say such a thing. After a few moments, the gray apprentice just continued looking to the ground.

The black medicine cat continued the silence, knowing that now was not a good time to change his mind about comforting his brother. He blocked everything out as he sorted his herbs again, trying hard to forget everything that just happened. He didn't even notice Jaggedpaw enter with the moss that he'd told her to get.

Nightmist was only thinking of one thing, and that was of how Robinfur managed to do it. She dealt with many emotionally stressed cats, and every single one of them was healed within two moons. Yet here he stood, barely able to handle his own brother.

After a few moments of thinking, Nightmist listened to Stormpaw's conversation with Jaggedpaw. It at least gave him something to do as he pretended to sort the herbs so that he could get away from his mouse-brained brother.

"They are all talking about you," said Jaggedpaw, talking cheerfully as if unaware of how much tension resided in the heavy air. "They all want to know when you're going to train again, because even though you were only nine moons old, you were very strong." Stormpaw just sighed as he lay in his nest.

"Too bad," the gray apprentice muttered. "Looks like I'm not even going to be a warrior. Nightmist can't heal me, and I'm too cowardly to even stand. I'm done for." Jaggedpaw seemed to take no notice of the depression clouding Stormpaw's eyes, for she didn't even hesitate to respond.

"Oh come on, stop thinking like that," the young apprentice said, making Nightmist confused. Didn't she understand that there was no hope? "You're only cowardly if you think you are. So, think the opposite. You have to _believe_ you're going to be a warrior, and it will happen." Stormpaw just scoffed.

"It's impossible," Stormpaw muttered. "I can't even stand, so believing won't help in my case." Jaggedpaw sighed, seeming to roll her eyes from what it sounded like.

"You are so faithless!" Jaggedpaw accused with a sarcastic voice. "Well, if you won't do what I say, can you at least get out of your nest? This moss needs to be taken out, and this new batch needs to be set." Stormpaw didn't say anything as he seemed to attempt to crawl. Just as he did, Nightmist heard a loud but shocked sound that made him curious. When he looked around, he found that his brother was standing on his feet, shakily staying there as his eyes widened.

"What did you do?" asked Stormpaw, his voice wavering with the emotion of happiness and shock. Jaggedpaw was standing proudly at the apprentices side, happy that she had helped him.

"Maybe there are two ways to achieve things," said Jaggedpaw, grinning widely as she held her head high with a proud expression. "To believe, and to trust others to help you. You see, you trusted me to do nothing, and then I helped you. See? All you needed was assistance!" Nightmist smiled at the apprentice as he saw his brother look to the black medicine cat.

"Y-you tried to help me and I pushed you away," Stormpaw realized, still standing awkwardly. "You were right, Nightmist! You just needed to help me, and yet I just argued with you. I'm so sorry." Nightmist shrugged, forcing his smile to vanish.

"It was nothing," Nightmist murmured before walking over to his old moss bed in which Jaggedpaw was attempting to drag out. Stormpaw watched him as he plucked a ball of moss from the bed the size of a cat's eyeball. After making it a bit smaller, the black medicine cat looked to his brother, who was very curious as to what was going on.

"Catch," Nightmist told him, warning him only a second before he tossed it over to Stormpaw. The gray apprentice used his good paw to toss it back, surprising himself as he confusedly looked to Nightmist.

"So now you think I'm a kit?" he asked, a bit offended as his brother just shook his head.

"This is part of recovery," Nightmist told his impatient brother. "The stronger your paw gets, the more you will be able to stand, so maybe by the next moon you'll be able to walk from here to the fresh-kill pile." Stormpaw looked to his brother in eagerness as he finally understood that he was going to get better.

"Does that mean I can go back to my apprentice duties soon?" asked Stormpaw hopefully. Nightmist smiled warmly to his brother as he suddenly seemed so much older with his maturity.

"Soon, but don't get too excited," Nightmist warned. "I won't know for a few moons that you are fully healed, though with what you just showed me, it will be soon." Stormpaw smiled with happiness, finally having the hope that he needed to move on. Now the only obstacle was regaining the strength of the leg, seeing as over the past two and half moons it has done nothing but rest.

* * *

"So the poppy seeds are to make the cat go to sleep, the marigold is to help prevent infections and cobwebs are to stop the bleeding?" asked Stormpaw as Nightmist sorted the three herbs into three separate piles. His brother was watching out of boredom because even though it was late enough to go to sleep, the gray apprentice didn't want to. So Nightmist entertained his Stormpaw by teaching him about the three simple herbs.

"Correct," said Nightmist, smiling as his brother sighed with relief. "But what else are cobwebs for?" The gray apprentice tilted his head with curiosity before going deep into thought. Eventually Stormpaw's expression was filled with realization that Nightmist smiled over.

"That's right!" said Stormpaw, smiling happily. "It's to help broken legs stay together after the medicine cat puts it back in it's rightful place! I remember when you did that. No wonder I hate those sticky webs. They get annoying after awhile!" Nightmist smiled to his gray brother before standing up and stretching.

"Well, it's about time for me to get going," Nightmist told Stormpaw, who was already standing. The gray apprentice was getting very strong, and could now toss the ball of moss across the room. "I can't keep the other medicine cats waiting." Stormpaw sighed.

"Can't you stay here one more time?" asked Stormpaw hopefully. "I haven't slept alone since. . .well, you know. I'm still afraid." Nightmist sighed as he looked at his brother who now had his head lowered with the feeling of vulnerability.

"Stormpaw, I haven't gone for four moons. Don't you think it's time to let go of the nightmares?" asked Nightmist, though he could see it in Stormpaw's eyes that he was afraid. "Mother will be in with you, and I'm sure she'll keep the dreams away. Just trust her like you did me, okay?" Stormpaw nodded a bit before sitting back down, looking at his paws with sadness.

As much as Nightmist didn't want to leave his brother there in sorrow, he needed to get to the moonpool. So as he walked toward the medicine den entrance, he sighed with relief, finding his mother was already there.

"He's still afraid," Nightmist told her quietly. "Just comfort him enough to get him to go to sleep, and he should be fine. The poppy seeds I put in his food should keep him asleep after that." The mother nodded before walking over to her son, who was now trying hard not to cry in his nest. After giving a look of sadness to his brother, Nightmist left camp, excited to go to another meeting with the medicine cats, yet afraid to leave his brother there without him.

_**/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\**_

By the time Nightmist reached the moonpool, all of the medicine cats had already gathered and were just about to drink from the sacred pool before he arrived. When he did, they all looked at him in surprise, curious as to why he was there after so many moons.

"Sorry," Nightmist told them after catching his breath. "Stormpaw kept me away for a bit. Were you about to start?" Nightmist knew the answer, but he wanted to start a conversation with the familiar cats that acted as if he were a kit that had just been introduced himself.

"Ah yes, we were, but no worries, you were just late," said an elderly gray tom who's name Nightmist had forgotten. "Must be a lot of work to heal a broken leg. Four moons and he's still not an apprentice? I bet that's because of your loss. . .No worries though, I bet Stormpaw is recovering just fine on his own." Nightmist could sense that this medicine cat was disappointed in him, so he tried to hide his realization.

"He's just about there," Nightmist told the staring medicine cats. "I think he only has a moon left with me before he can begin his apprentice training again." The elder medicine cat just raised his eye brows, as if surprised by this statement.

"Really? Five and a half moons in the medicine cat den?" asked the elderly tom. "Robinfur should have taught you her tricks before she. . .died. Stormpaw would be so much better off. . .but all things happen for a reason, right?" Nightmist flicked his tail with frustration before turning around and crouching down to take a drink of water from the moonpool.

After this, he lied down and closed his eyes, pushing everything away as StarClan sent him into a deep sleep. In a way he was happy to leave the world behind. After so many moons of stressful days, Nightmist hoped it would be nice to just forget about it.

When the black medicine cat opened his eyes he found that he was in a large clearing that was somewhat familiar to him, though he couldn't quite recognize it. When Nightmist thought hard enough, his eyes widened with realization and fear. He'd only been in this clearing once, and he'd hoped never to set a paw there again.

Nightmist backed a few steps back as the memories that he'd tried so hard to push away returned to him. The fox, Robinfur, the twolegs, the darkness—everything. The black medicine cat closed his eyes and crouched low to the ground in fear, trying hard not to run away.

"Nightmist, why have you pushed me away?"

Nightmist's eyes opened quickly as he heard the familiar voice. His mentor, his teacher, the one he'd always had to look up to was standing before him, her amber eyes looking down at her previous apprentice. Nightmist was now shaking with fear as Robinfur stood there, praying that she wasn't going to be disappointed in him as well.

"I've never pushed you away!" Nightmist told her, his voice filled with mixed emotions. He was angry that she left him, sad as he remembered how, happy that he got to see her, and confused as to why she looked at him as if he'd just killed a cat.

"I just proved that you have, my little healer," said Robinfur with sadness in her eyes. "Why? After all I taught you, why have you pushed back my memory? Are you not brave enough to face the truth?" Nightmist shook his head, his eyes widening as his mentor accused him of such things.

"I've remembered every single thing about you!" Nightmist insisted. "How can you say that I'm not?"

"You've pushed away the memory of my death, and therefore never fully accepting the fact that I was dead," Robinfur explained. "You received your full medicine cat name and yet you still didn't accept that I was dead. How could you?" Nightmist felt a tear leave his eye as he watched his mentor accuse him of something he now felt guilty for.

"I don't know. . ." Nightmist whispered, staring at the ground as he felt no longer worthy of looking at his previous mentor. "I don't know! I-I'm scared, I guess. I feel to vulnerable when I think of it. I feel defenseless. And when I remember. . .I just. . .fade. . ." Robinfur was quiet as he cried, though she didn't seem as sad.

"Then why don't you find the courage to think of it without losing yourself?" asked Robinfur. "Why don't you find the bravery to accept what happened and move on?" Nightmist didn't answer. He couldn't. That and he didn't know how.

"Find the courage, Nightmist," said Robinfur, her voice fading. "Find the bravery to help others." Nightmist looked back up to his mentor to witness her sorrowed eyes as she faded away, leaving him to see nothing but blackness.

Nightmist expected to awake to the moonpool, but when he saw scenery around him, he was back in the medicine cat den, watching Stormpaw scream as his mother tried to comfort him. Just as Nightmist was about to comfort him, he awoke with the other medicine cats continuing to sleep soundly.

Nightmist quickly stood up and ran back into ThunderClan territory, expecting the worse when he saw Stormpaw. He didn't know how he knew, but there was just that feeling that what he'd seen hadn't just been a dream. It was real—his brother was having another nightmare and he needed to be there to help him.

_**/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\-/x\**_

"Stormpaw!" Nightmist yelled as he sprinted through the medicine den and over to his brother who was whimpering in the back of the den as his mother tried to approach him. As the gray apprentice heard his voice, he immediately walked over to the black medicine cat, seeming to beg for comfort as Nightmist willingly gave it to him.

"T-the traps," Stormpaw whispered. "T-they were after me again. . ." Nightmist shushed his brother quietly as he soothed his brother, who was now calming down quickly. Their mother left quietly, murmuring something about being crazy. Nightmist would explain to her later about how scary it must have been for Stormpaw to be in that much pain, but at the moment he was busy with his brother.

"It's okay, Stormpaw," Nightmist soothed, ignoring the fact that his legs were screaming at him to stop all movement because of how fast he ran over. "I made the traps go away. You're save here. Just sleep." Stormpaw continued shivering as he lied down with Nightmist at his side.

"B-but what if they—" Nightmist cut him off with a shake of his head.

"The traps are gone. It's just you and me now, Stormpaw," Nightmist told him, smiling warmly. "Forever, together, remember?" Stormpaw nodded, smiling weakly before quickly falling asleep. It was then that Lionear and Snakebite entered the room, their eyes filled with worry.

"We heard screaming," said Lionear, speaking for the both of them. Nightmist nodded, flicking his tail to Stormpaw who was now sleeping soundly. "What happened?" They were both confused it seemed, and Nightmist knew that the faster he explained the faster they would leave him and his brother alone.

"I left Stormpaw with our mother so that I could attend the half-moon meeting," Nightmist told them. "However, he doesn't seem to sleep well with her and began having nightmares again. StarClan told me about it just before I woke up at the moonpool, and so I ran back as fast as I could. He seems to trust me now, so it ended quickly. But now that he's asleep I think it would be wise to keep him like that, so in the nicest way possible I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Snakebite and Lionear nodded before leaving.

As Nightmist watched his brother sleep, his thoughts wondered. The black medicine cat's feeling for protection had just sky rocketed because of the previous events, and though they were twins, he had just felt like the older taking care of the younger. It was comforting to know that he could take care of Stormpaw, but at the same time, it just reminded him of what Robinfur had told him.

And because of this, Nightmist fell asleep crying.


	3. The Name

**The Name**

Nightmist sat outside of his den sunning himself in the green-leaf air as he watched his brother play with the new kits that had just ventured outside of the nursery. Stormpaw had recovered brilliantly over the bast few moons, and after five moons of being cooped up in the medicine den, Nightmist could only imagine how happy his brother was going to be when he told him that he was going to continue his apprentice training in another half moon.

Five moons. . .such a long time since the accident. It had been so rough too, but when the good days came, Nightmist remembered them and always would, for he felt that his relationship with Stormpaw had grown. No longer were they silly apprentices anymore. They were mature brothers who helped the other overcome their fear.

But even though he was happy for his brother, he was guilty toward himself. Robinfur's message had stuck to his memory, forcing him to remember it whenever he was alone. He sometimes remembered it when he had nothing else to think about, but he would hide that fact from Stormpaw, hoping to never talk to another cat about it.

Nightmist suddenly noticed Shadestar up on the highledge, and when he glanced over to Bluepaw and Jaggedpaw's excited expressions, he knew what was going on. Stormpaw wouldn't like this. Not when both Bluepaw and Jaggedpaw were younger than he was and yet already receiving their warrior name.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the highledge for a clan meeting!" Shadestar called to his clan, who already seemed to be gathering. Nightmist took his spot in the crowd, franticly looking around for Stormpaw whom he couldn't find. After a few moments of looking, he caught sight of the black lightning bolt scar that belonged to his brother and sighed with relief. He was afraid Stormpaw had run off, but Nightmist found that he hadn't.

"Bluepaw, Jaggedpaw," Shadestar called to the two apprentices. "Step forward." Bluepaw's dark gray fur and Jaggedpaw's black pelt came into view. Bluepaw smirked, as if he'd just finished teasing somebody, while Jaggedpaw's expression was filled with eagerness and excitement.

"I, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." There was silence in the clan as Shadestar paused, looking down upon the two excited cats.

"Bluepaw and Jaggedpaw, do you promise to upold the warrior code and protect your clan, even at the cost of your own life?" asked Shadestar, who looked quite proud himself. That would probably be because these apprentices were related to him.

"I do," said Bluepaw calmly, wonderfully composed.

"I do!" said Jaggedpaw eagerly, receiving a few laughs in return.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names," said Shadestar. "Bluepaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Bluetail. StarClan honors your determination and excellent battle skills, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Shadestar then looked to Jaggedpaw.

"Jaggedpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Jaggedclaw. StarClan honors your eagerness and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." As Shadestar finished, all of the cats erupted into cheerful yells, calling out the new warriors name with happiness. Nightmist wasn't that loud because he was too busy looking for a sorrowed look in Stormpaw's eyes, but surprisingly, there was none of it.

When the cheering stopped and the crowd moved over to the two new warriors to congratulate them, Nightmist walked over to his brother who sat alone by the fresh-kill pile, looking longingly at Jaggedclaw and Bluetail. The black medicine cat was quiet as he sat next to Stormpaw, hoping not to anger his brother.

Nightmist was utterly confused at the fact that Stormpaw was being so composed. Usually the gray apprentice would get angry and just attempt to hide it, though that never really worked out. So either Stormpaw was getting really good at hiding his emotions or the gray tom was just really happy for the two new warriors, which didn't seem like him at all.

"It will be me over there soon," said Stormpaw finally, smiling a bit. "I'll be getting my warrior name, and I'll be the one they cheer for. I'll be the one they congratulate, and when they do, they'll tell me how brave I am for going through this wound." Nightmist smiled at his brother, happy that the gray tom was looking to the bright side of the situation.

"Oh look, it's Failure and Pathetic," said the familiar voice of Bluetail. Nightmist looked up to find the new warrior smirking at them both. "Five moons in the medicine den and you're still asking for attention. And then your brother is the worst medicine cat in history, having absolutely no training at all."

"Shut up about my brother!" Stormpaw hissed to Bluetail, his eyes narrowed tightly. "And besides, I will be a warrior soon enough!" Bluetail scoffed, irritating Nightmist a bit.

"When is 'soon enough'?" Bluetail asked in a taunting voice. "When you're an elder? With that leg, any bit of prey will hear you coming, and with your lack of training and weak legs, you wouldn't even last a second in battle. No mentor in the forest would be able to train you, Stormpaw." Now it was Nightmist's turn to get angry.

"Why must you irritate Stormpaw, Bluetail?" asked Nighmist, his tail lashing furiously. "He was a better apprentice than you ever were." Bluetail continued smirking, though he did raise his eye brows a little.

"Ah, so the big bad medicine cat wants to defend his small pathetic brother, does he?" said Bluetail. "Weakling. Ever since that fox ate your mentor you've been just the silly little medicine cat who can't even heal a broken leg correctly, and because of your lack of experience, we're all doomed if we go to battle with another clan." Nightmist became even angrier as Bluetail mentioned the fox.

"Yeah, and ever since that fox killed your mother you've been the biggest bully in the clans," Nightmist growled, his fur bristling with hostility. "Why is that? Are you trying to prove to everyone in this clan that you are strong enough to forgive and forget?" Bluetail's smirk vanished and was replaced with a scowl.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way!" Bluetail hissed to him as Nightmist chuckled. He had obviously sparked something within Bluetail, which was hard to do with a warrior so mentally strong.

"Why not?" asked Nightmist as he made himself look taller. "You talk to others this way, so why don't we have the right to talk you like you do to us? I mean, after all, you were the one who started this in the first place." Bluetail's eyes narrowed tighter.

"Would you like me to finish it?" asked Bluetail, his voice filled with the challenge of battle. Nightmist continued to stand tall, hoping that this stupid tom would remember that the warrior code forbade him to attack any medicine cat whatsoever.

"If you're that stupid, go ahead," Nightmist told him. "But you won't be joining your mother in StarClan."

Bluetail snapped.

The dark gray warrior lunged, surprising Nightmist entirely. Bluetail pinned him down easily raising his claws to attack as the black medicine cat stared in shock. He'd asked for it, he knew, but he didn't think Bluetail would actually attack.

"Stop!" Stormpaw suddenly yelled, surprising both Nightmist and Bluetail. They both looked to the gray apprentice, who was on the verge of crying as he watched the two begin to fight physically. "Just stop. . .both of you. . ." The dark gray warrior just growled lowly to Nightmist before getting off of him and walking away.

Stormpaw gave his brother the look of 'how could you?' as Nightmist stood up, his head lowered with shame as he faced his brother. Right then, _he'd _acted like the idiot apprentice while Stormpaw had acted like the mature warrior.

In just two moments, Stormpaw stood up and sprinted away out of camp, making Nightmist gasp. As he looked around, he found that there were many cats glancing in the black medicine cat's direction with uncertain expressions on their faces.

With a growl of frustration toward himself, Nightmist darted off to where his brother had gone, following his brother's scent with his nose. The apprentice couldn't have gone far, because even though he only needed to spend half a moon in the medicine den, that leg was still weak.

When Nightmist found his brother, he gasped with shock and fear. The fox, Robinfur, and the twolegs once again brought himself back to the memories of how he became a full medicine cat too soon. After shaking the memories out of his head, Nightmist walked over to his brother and sat by him.

Stormpaw was crying while looking to the ground, attempting to hide his mental pain. Nightmist didn't say anything at first, mostly because he was trying to figure out why Stormpaw was crying. But no matter how hard he tried, he found nothing but hopelessness, which didn't make any sense to him.

"Stormpaw, what's wrong?" asked Nightmist, trying to sound composed while at the same time keeping the horrifying memories away from his mind. At first the gray apprentice said nothing, hoping Nightmist would just go away, but eventually he gave in.

"Bluetail is right," Stormpaw whispered, stopping his tears for that moment. "If I become a warrior, I'll be so much older than the rest of them. I'll be worthless to the clan when I'm so old. And how can I train with this leg? It'll just be so different from when I imagined it. . ." Nightmist sighed, still trying to calm his own mind.

"It'll be okay," the black medicine cat soothed. "Don't worry about Bluetail. He's just a mouse-brain. You will become a warrior, and you will do it faster than any apprentice out there. You will soon be healed, and—" Stormpaw looked up to his brother with his amber eyes narrowed tightly with fury.

"And who are you to judge if I'm healed or not?" asked Stormpaw angrily, his tail flicking with frustration. "Physically, I guess I'm fine, but mentally? Nightmist, I'm practically going insane!" Nightmist narrowed his eyes with confusion as his brother said that. Last he heard the nightmares and vanished just so long as he, the medicine cat, was there.

"What do you mean?" asked Nightmist cautiously. "I thought you said that they were gone and that you were perfectly fine as long as you slept next to me." Stormpaw's eyes were clouded with emotion as he looked away, once again trying to hide his expression.

"I lied, Nightmist," Stormpaw murmured to him. "I didn't want you to think of me as some mentally ill cat who couldn't return to his apprentice duties because he might be too scared." Nightmist's eyes widened a bit as he heard this. Lying to each other was the oppisite of what they'd promised, and here his brother was, basically telling him that he was too protective.

"So they're not gone at all?" asked Nightmist. Stormpaw shook his head slightly, probably unable to speak about it.

"They are the same thing over and over," Stormpaw told him quietly. "But they're getting worse. Every night they become more gruesome, and I just can't. . .I just can't deal with it, Nightmist." The black medicine cat sat in silence as he tried to figure out how to heal his brother. He was a medicine cat, so it was just what he did.

"It's okay," said Nightmist with a warm sound in his voice. "Let's go back to camp and talk about this while I find out some way to get rid of these nightmares." Stormpaw scoffed, looking as if he didn't believe Nightmist.

"The only one who can heal me is Robinfur," said Stormpaw. "You're good at physical wounds, but you're nothing like Robinfur when it comes to mental injuries. Since she's gone I guess I'd be better off dead." Nightmist narrowed his eyes in frustration as his brother stated this.

"So you're saying that I'm worthless?" asked Nightmist. "Well guess what, Shadestar, Lionear, Snakebite, and all of the other medicine cats of the other clans beat you to it. I know I'm not as good as Robinfur and I know I'm completely clueless when it comes to healing mental wounds, but can't you just trust me?" Stormapw shrugged.

"You tell me," said the gray apprentice. "Can I trust a cat that was at fault for his own mentors death?" Nightmist's eyes widened with shock as Stormpaw looked to him, his eyes filled with the knowledge of death. No one should have known about what Stormpaw was talking about. No one. . .

"How do you know this?" asked Nightmist, his voice barely audible. "How do you know!"

"I just happened to be at the right place during the right time," Stormpaw muttered. "Turns out I found out something pretty important. The one thing I wanted to ask was 'why'. You knew the trap was there and yet you didn't tell her." Nightmist growled lowly in warning.

"I never knew that the trap as there," Nightmist told him, his eyes narrowed. "The only thing I knew was near was the fox, but I thought it was younger than that." Stormpaw sighed with frustration.

"So what?" asked Stormpaw. "That doesn't change a thing. If you had told her about the fox, both of you would have run away, and she wouldn't have gotten caught. The twolegs wouldn't have come either, and the elders might have actually gotten to bury her body."

"Shut up!" Nightmist hissed instantly after his brother finished. He didn't know why Stormpaw suddenly had enough courage to talk to him like this, but it was going to end quickly. "You don't know the half of it!" His tail was lashing, his fur was bristled, and his lips were drawn back so that he could bare his teeth.

"But I do," Stormpaw retorted. "I know everything that happened that day. What did you hope to gain by hiding the fact that there was a fox _right behind her_?" Nightmist was shaking with fear as the sorrow of those events returned to him.

"I didn't want to gain anything but respect!" Nightmist hissed to his brother. "Robinfur was always looked up to, and because of her good skills, I was never even noticed! If I had told her about the fox, no one would have congratulated me on scenting it. They would have just thought that it was Robinfur who did it. That's the best case. In reality, if I had told her about the fox, she would have thought of me as a crazy mouse-brained apprentice who didn't know anything!" Stormpaw stood up and faced his brother, suddenly becoming the composed one of the two.

"None of that gave you the right to stand by and watch as she got caught in the fox trap," Stormpaw growled, making Nightmist cry harder. "None of that gave you the right to watch that fox nearly eat what was left of her, and none of that gave you the right to stand by and watch as the twolegs picked up the remains. Then you go back to camp shaking with fear, stating that she was simply caught in a fox trap and then taken away by the twolegs." Nightmist's tail lashed fiercer now, trying hard not to attack his brother for what he'd just said.

"I was only seven moons old!" Nightmist screamed. "What else was I supposed to do? Once the fox trap caught her I-I was clueless! I didn't know what to do and I was scared. When the fox came I had to hide, and when the twolegs killed it I was in too much shock to move!" Stormpaw sighed, trying to recompose himself as anger reached him.

"So, are you admitting that you were—and still are—a coward?" asked Stormpaw, making Nightmist's eyes widen.

"That memory has left me with a scar that will never fade!" Nightmist shouted. "I know it's my fault! I know that I should have come to her rescue! I know it! But I didn't, and so I hid the memory away. All of these moons. . .I've just pushed it away." Stormpaw looked surprised, as he hadn't been expecting that response.

"During my time at the moonpool before I came to save you, I dreamed of Robinfur," Nightmist growled, his eyes still narrowed as countless amount of tears fell with every second. "She told me that I was pushing her away. That I had forgotten her. I didn't understand. I had never forgotten her. I always remembered.

"But now I know what she was talking about," Nightmist whispered. "She said that I was pushing her away because of how selfishly I was pushing the memory of her death away. I didn't want to accept the fact that it was my fault that she was dead. I didn't want to accept the fact that I was practically a murder with no experience of healing.

"And so I lived on as if nothing had happened, hoping to prove myself and maybe even make a name for myself. But as always, none of that was possible because even though she was dead, I was still living in her shadow." Nightmist looked up to his brother with a look of betrayal and sorrow. This made the gray apprentice flinch with fright, because even though Stormpaw had seen Nightmist angry, he had never seen him furious.

"Do you know how it feels to be looked down upon every single day of your life?" asked Nightmist. "Do you know how it feels to have everyone tell you that you weren't as good as you're mentor when they know it will hurt your feelings? Do you know how it feels to always be told that your work was 'good enough'? They didn't believe I could heal you, and they still don't. Do you even know what that's like?"

Stormpaw stared at his brother with shock. Nightmist still couldn't read him like he used to, but even so, he could tell that his brother wasn't aware of any of these emotions going through the black medicine cat's head. Stormpaw was naive and didn't understand any of it because though he had a broken leg, it was nothing compared to what Nightmist had to go through.

Stormpaw eventually blinked several times before sighing and looking straight into his eyes with the look of knowledge and regret. There was something more, something that Nightmist knew he was going to be even angrier at.

"At least you actually get to be a medicine cat," Stormpaw said. "I don't even get to be a warrior."

Nightmist hissed with frustration as his brother said that. Not one look of pity or sympathy came from Stormpaw. Not one regretful look or sorrowful expression. Instead, the stupid gray tom had thought of his own problems, becoming selfish and greedy and—

Without knowledge of what he was doing, Nightmist unsheathed his claws and lunged toward Stormpaw who now looked as if he'd seen a ghost. The gray apprentice quickly evaded the attack on instinct as Nightmist landed on the cold forest floor, his eyes narrowed with fury.

"Nightmist, what are you doing?" asked Stormpaw, his voice wavering with fear.

"Showing your sorry tail that you are not the one who needs pity!" Nightmist shouted, his claws sheathed now. "You were ready to leave the medicine den a moon ago, but because of my 'cowardly personality', as you put it, I didn't want you to accidentally hurt your paw in training and then have it all blamed on me. So in all truth, you could have already been training, meaning that what you just said was a lie! You are going to be a warrior, and you will get your warrior name!" Stormpaw's eyes widened.

"You lied to me so that you could save yourself the blame?" asked Stormpaw. "That is outrageous! Do you know how long I've waited to return to being an apprentice? And yet there I was in the medicine den all because my selfish brother didn't have the courage to let me move on!" Nightmist opened his mouth, but shut it moments later. What Stormpaw was saying was the truth, meaning there was no point in trying to change it.

"So _now_ you're not going talk back?" asked Stormpaw before he scoffed. "That just proves how fearful you are. I can't believe I even shared a nest with you." Nightmist looked away as his brother turned around to leave. He knew that they would never be the same again. But he was not one to try and change that.

Nightmist waited as he expected Stormpaw to leave immediately and tell the clan of what he'd heard. But instead the gray apprentice just stood there, frozen in shock it seemed as if there was something in front of him just waiting to attack. In curiosity and confusion, the black medicine cat walked over, trying to figure out what was wrong.

When Nightmist saw the ground for himself he found nothing but dead leaves and the cold dirt ground. Stormpaw, however, looked as if he were facing a fox, unable to look away in fear that it would attack. Nightmist took a few steps forward, looking to see what Stormpaw would do.

"Nightmist, don't!" Stormpaw yelled to him, his eyes wide with fear as Nightmist froze. "The trap—it's right there! If you go three pawsteps forward, you'll get hurt too!" Nightmist looked three pawsteps ahead of him, finding nothing but leaves again.

That was when the black medicine cat realized that this must have been the place that Stormpaw had gotten caught in the trap. Nightmist knew of how damaged his brother was, and how his imagination was getting the best of him. Stormpaw probably did see the trap there, seeing as his subconscious made up some crazy stuff since the gray apprentice had broken his leg.

"Stormpaw, there is nothing there," Nightmist told him, trying to calm the gray apprentice the old fashion way. "It's just a few dead leaves. You're only seeing it because this is where you actually got trapped." Stormpaw shook his head, the fear growing as Nightmist calmly looked back to where it was supposed to do.

_Great, _Nightmist thought to himself. _Now what? Stormpaw won't move unless I get his mind to forget about the trap. But how do I do that? It's not even there! _Nightmist looked to Stormpaw one last time, trying to figure out what would make his brother's subconscious understand that there were no more traps.

_If I can prove to him that they are gone, then everything will go back to normal, _Nightmist thought to himself. _But how do I do that? I can't move it or attempt to destroy it because it simply isn't there! Wait. . .what if I pretend? If I do that, then Stormpaw's subconscious will automaticly think that the trap is destroyed, and that all of them are gone. _

Nightmist nodded to himself as he figured out what he was going to do. After this he continued walking toward the invisible trap, ignoring Stormpaw's worthless warnings. He knew what he was doing, and he just hoped that it would look real to the gray apprentice.

When he got to the three paw step mark, Nightmist acted as if he'd actually been caught in it. He winced in pain, looking down at his paw in shock. He gave a glance to Stormpaw, who looked like he really wanted to go help his 'injured' brother but was too scared to do so.

So then he tried to make it look like he attacked it on instinct. Nightmist bit at every possible place before standing up and shaking his paw, making it look like he'd broken it. If Stormpaw's subconscious did what Nightmist thought it would do, this trap would be broken. If not, the gray apprentice would believe him to be wounded, which could lead to many problems.

But as Nightmist stood up straight and looked to Stormpaw, he found that the gray apprentice looked shocked, but all the same, much more relaxed. Nightmist smiled before walking up to Stormpaw and touching noses with him. The gray apprentice just continued to stare at him with astonishment.

"You destroyed the trap," Stormpaw whispered. "They're gone now." Nightmist nodded.

"Yep, and now you won't have any more nightmares," said Nightmist, confirming what Stormpaw had just said. "Do you wanna go home now?" Stormpaw looked at him with a look that Nightmist sighed at. "Come on, it's not _that _hard to believe, is it?"

"I made you remember that horrible day, told you it was all your fault, and then gave no sympathy to you when you explained what it was like being you and yet you go and destroy a trap for me?" asked Stormpaw, still in complete shock. "Why? It would make so much more sense if you had just left me here."

"I did it because you are my brother," Nightmist answered. "'Forever together whatever the weather', remember?" Stormpaw nodded, smiling with happiness as Nightmist said that. Good memories were now filling their heads, ones that weren't tainted with lies and regret.

"I'm sorry, Nightmist," Stormpaw told him. "I'm sorry about everything." Nightmist nodded, knowing that his brother really did mean it. It was all behind them now anyways, and there was no need to think of it anymore.

"As am I," he told his little brother. "Now can we go back? I'm hungry and for all I know, Bluetail is telling everyone I provoked him." Stormpaw laughed a bit before following his brother toward the camp.

On the way back, Nightmist thought only of how much he had to forgive. Though he knew that his brother had said a lot of things to him that he never wanted to hear again, he also knew that cats made mistakes. Nightmist had figured out that neither of them needed sympathy because even though it was nice to have someone comforting at your side, it was better to show others that you were fine on your own.

Though all of the the truth had just been spilled, Nightmist knew that his relationship with his brother had grown even further. He now knew that Stormpaw could be mature when he wanted to and that he was very determined to become a warrior. Not only that, but Stormpaw had figured out his never ending fear as well. They had both been honest, and now they could both help each other in recovery.

* * *

"All cats old enough to catch there own prey, gather here beneath the highledge for a clan meeting!" yelled Shadestar. Nightmist smiled as he glanced over to his brother who was already looking at him. The gray apprentice was smiling widely as his eyes grew bigger with excitement.

This was the day this apprentice had waited twelve moons for. Three moons in training, five moons in the medicine den, and four other moons continuing the training he'd already preformed. Stormpaw was stronger than any apprentice Nightmist had ever seen, and since that day in the forest, the gray apprentice had had no more nightmares.

Things never did get better for Nightmist, though, because the two brothers had agreed to keep what they'd heard from each other a secret. So yes, everyone still continued to compare him to his previous mentor and yes, everyone always commented on his lack of talent, but Nightmist didn't care. One day he knew he would show them of how different he and Robinfur were, and how much talent he really had.

Stormpaw was perfectly healthy now. The fur were the leg wound had been had completely grown back, creating nothing but a thin white scar around his lower leg where the trap had broken his bone. And the scar on his side had grown completely black, leaving nothing but a mark of bravery. The best part was that it was shaped just like a lightning bolt now.

As the cats gathered by the highledge, Nightmist could hear the whispers of excitement. This was normal for any warrior ceremony, but it was louder this time because everyone knew of Stormpaw and what he'd been through. They all knew what he had to do to get back to training, and how far he'd had to have come to become a warrior.

"ThunderClan, today is an important day for us," said Shadestar, looking proudly to his clan, though Nightmist caught him glancing to Stormpaw a few times. "After twelve moons of being an apprentice, Stormpaw deserves this ceremony than any other young cat I've come to name." A few cheers came from Jaggedclaw's direction, who seemed the most excited about this clan meeting.

"I, Shadestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." said Shadestar, making Nightmist's heart race. He was hardly even realizing that the day had come at last. "Stormpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your clan even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do," said Stormpaw, sitting proudly in front of the crowd.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Stormpaw, from this day on you shall be known as Stormscar for your determination and bravery, for no cat should have had to go through what you did. StarClan honors your courage and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." The cats erupted with loud and high voices, all cheering for Stormscar whom they loved so much. He'd gained many fans over the moons.

Nighmist waited patiently by the medicine den for Stormscar to meet him. At the moment he could tell that his brother was very busy with all of the other cats coming to congratulate him. Nightmist didn't mind nor did he care—he knew that his brother was living the best moment of his life.

When Stormscar did actually walk up to him, all they could do was smile. They knew that without each other, this day would be a lot gloomier, and they wouldn't be together.

"I was expecting you to be angry about the name," said Nightmist truthfully. "It seems like it will just be a constant reminder of how different your life was." Stormscar shrugged, obviously not even close to being bothered by it.

"It's a reminder of the bad stuff," said Stormscar before smiling. "But it's also a reminder of the good stuff. Besides, I think you and I have learned the bad part of forgetting something that should be remembered." Nightmist nodded, agreeing completely.

"So now that you're a warrior, are we back to being on the same level?" asked Nightmist curiously. He'd known very well that Stormscar had worried about this when they were younger, and so he wanted to ask.

"We're never going to be on the same level, Nightmist," Stormscar told him, though he still smiled. "But we will still be together, no matter what." Nightmist nodded firmly, this time hoping that the gesture was more of a swear.

"Forever together."

* * *

**Through the wind and the ocean, the mud and the flames, two parts will emerge, never once showing shame.**

**Bravery, courage, and love their hearts dwell, never once going back into their secure shell.**

**With scars that have never faded, and shadows that still remain, their hearts have been blackened, but their bravery has not changed. **

**Through the day and the night, they shall never be shattered, and having seen both good and evil, they have become quite battered. **

**Forever together, no matter the weather.**

* * *

**A/N: The end! =) This is my entry for the Medicine Cat Apprentice - Contest. I'm quite proud of it. =)**


End file.
